Effective writing Skills

Training Topics:
• Effective Writing
– Developing good reading strategies
– Creating powerful presentations:
– Tone
– Punctuation, grammar and spelling
– Organizing your thoughts
– Structuring paragraphs and sentences
– Writing to keep the reader engaged
– Softening a negative message
 EFFECTIVE
WRITING SKILLS
Ways to Write Dynamic
Messages

© 2008 MMMTS All Rights Reserved.

 Effective Writing
• Features of Business Writing:
– Should be terse, clear and to the
point
– Language has to be effective
– Each country has their own set of
norms concerning written or
spoken communication
– North American business desires
written form

© 2008 MMMTS All Rights Reserved.

 Rules of Effective Writing
• Basic Rules
1. Getting to the point
a. Being Concise
b. Paragraphing
c. Use of Lists
d. Framing Effective Questions
2. Use of Non–Discriminatory Language
3. Punctuation, Grammar and Spelling
4. Tone
a. Choosing the Right Tone
b. Conversational Tone
© 2008 MMMTS All Rights Reserved.
 Getting to the Point
• Being Concise
– Use of short sentences
– Start document with purpose
– Creation of ‘single screen view’
messages
– Elimination of unnecessary words
• E.g.. “Avoid bad miscommunication in email
writing.”
(the word ‘bad’ is a modifier which is used
unnecessarily)
– Use lesser number of words
© 2008 MMMTS All Rights Reserved.
 Getting to the Point
• Paragraphing:
– Short Sentences
– Short Paragraphs (2 to 5 sentences)
• Creates “white space”
• Quicker to read
• Engages the reader
– Opening Paragraph
• Five “Ws” - “Who?”, “What?”, “When?”,
“Where?”, & “Why?”

© 2008 MMMTS All Rights Reserved.

 Use of Lists
• Benefits of using lists:
– Writer organizes thoughts
– Reader sees main points
– Important points are not overlooked
• Formatting a list:
– Use numbers or bullets
– Items should be parallel
– Capitalize the first word of each point
– Be consistent with punctuation

© 2008 MMMTS All Rights Reserved.

 Use of Lists

• Spacing of a list:
– Double spacing makes reading easier
– Double spacing takes more valuable
screen space
– Single spacing does not enhance the
list
– Single spacing takes less room

© 2008 MMMTS All Rights Reserved.

 Use of non-discriminatory
language
• Nondiscriminatory language is
language that treats all people
equally.
• Use language that is free of religious,
age and sexual bias
• Nondiscriminatory language can come
between you and your reader.

© 2008 MMMTS All Rights Reserved.

 Methods to Avoid Errors

• Use ‘Spell Check’ function.

• Always Proof Read document.

© 2008 MMMTS All Rights Reserved.

 Tone

• How can I make sure my messages

have the appropriate tone?
• Ask the following questions:
– Why am I writing this document?
– Who am I writing to and what do I
want them to understand?
– What kind of tone should I use?

© 2008 MMMTS All Rights Reserved.

 Tone
• What kind of tone should I use with a
negative message?
• When addressing faults or issues concerning
an individual, maintain a professional tone
that does not attack the individual but that
makes your position on the issue clear.
• Example:
Incorrect: I do not understand why you
made such discriminatory remarks.
Correct: Discriminatory remarks are not
tolerated in this organization.
© 2008 MMMTS All Rights Reserved.